MMA rankings: T.J. Dillashaw moves to the top of bantamweight list

With his UFC belt over his shoulder, T.J. Dillashaw is greeted by members of the state Senate during a visit to the Capitol in Sacramento.

With his UFC belt over his shoulder, T.J. Dillashaw is greeted by members of the state Senate during a visit to the Capitol in Sacramento. (Rich Pedroncelli / Associated Press)

Todd Martin

Dillashaw, Rousey top Times' MMA rankings

Heavyweight

1. Cain Velasquez

2. Fabricio Werdum

3. Junior Dos Santos

4. Travis Browne

5. Antonio Silva

6. Josh Barnett

7. Alistair Overeem

8. Stipe Miocic

9. Mark Hunt

10. Roy Nelson

Stipe Miocic scored a solid win in Brazil May 31, knocking out durable boxer Fabio Maldonado in just 35 seconds. Miocic was originally going to fight Junior Dos Santos on the card and will surely take on a tougher opponent next time out.

Light Heavyweight

1. Jon Jones

2. Alexander Gustafsson

3. Daniel Cormier

4. Rashad Evans

5. Anthony Johnson

6. Phil Davis

7. Glover Teixeira

8. Antonio Rogerio Nogueira

9. Ryan Bader

10. Dan Henderson

Daniel Cormier’s one-sided domination of 43-year-old legend Dan Henderson was predictable and sad. Cormier will be on tap to fight the winner of Jon Jones and Alexander Gustafsson for the UFC light heavyweight title, while calls for Henderson to retire will again pick up.

Middleweight

1. Chris Weidman

2. Anderson Silva

3. Vitor Belfort

4. Lyoto Machida

5. Luke Rockhold

6. Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza

7. Gegard Mousasi

8. Yushin Okami

9. Tim Kennedy

10. Michael Bisping

Gegard Mousasi turned in his most impressive UFC performance yet, taking apart Mark Munoz in the standup on the ground en route to a 1st round submission victory May 31 in Germany. Mousasi remains somewhat under the radar but possesses the skills to give anyone in the division problems.

Welterweight

1. Johny Hendricks

2. Rory MacDonald

3. Tyron Woodley

4. Matt Brown

5. Robbie Lawler

6. Carlos Condit

7. Ben Askren

8. Jake Ellenberger

9. Hector Lombard

10. Jake Shields

Following Robbie Lawler’s TKO win over Jake Ellenberger, the UFC announced that Lawler will fight Matt Brown in what should be a thrilling slugfest to headline their next Fox card. The Lawler-Brown winner will likely leapfrog the winner of this Saturday’s Rory MacDonald-Tyron Woodley showdown for the next title shot against champion Johny Hendricks. There is no shortage of options in what has become a remarkably stacked division. Outside the UFC, elite wrestler Ben Askren improved his record to a perfect 13-0 in his first fight for the Asia based One FC organization.

Lightweight

1. Anthony Pettis

2. Gilbert Melendez

3. Ben Henderson

4. Khabib Nurmagomedov

5. T.J. Grant

6. Eddie Alvarez

7. Josh Thomson

8. Nate Diaz

9. Jim Miller

10. Donald Cerrone

Ben Henderson scored his first finish win since 2010 on June 7, submitting Rustam Khabilov in the fourth round. Khabilov was a dangerous but unheralded opponent and Henderson took care of business in emphatic fashion after a series of very close fights in recent years.

The biggest featherweight bout in the near future takes place June 28 in San Antonio, when Cub Swanson fights Jeremy Stephens. A win by Swanson and he will likely get the winner of Jose Aldo vs. Chad Mendes for the UFC featherweight crown.

Bantamweight

1. T.J. Dillashaw

2. Renan Barao

3. Dominick Cruz

4. Urijah Faber

5. Raphael Assuncao

6. Michael McDonald

7. Takeya Mizugaki

8. Bibiano Fernandes

9. Eduardo Dantas

10. Iuri Alcantara

T.J. Dillashaw pulled off a stunning upset of Renan Barao in the main event of UFC 173. Dillashaw was the heavy betting underdog but Barao could not deal with his speed and striking. Dillashaw controlled the bout from beginning to end before stopping Barao in the fifth. Takeya Mizugaki won his fifth straight fight on the same card and moves up the rankings.

Women’s Bantamweight

1. Ronda Rousey

2. Cat Zingano

3. Alexis Davis

4. Sarah Kaufman

5. Miesha Tate

6. Sara McMann

7. Jessica Eye

8. Lauren Murphy

9. Jessica Andrade

10. Holly Holm

Cat Zingano has announced her intent to return to fighting in the fall. Zingano was the top contender to Ronda Rousey before she suffered injuries to her knee and had to deal with the suicide of her estranged husband. A win in her first fight back and she could find herself competing for the title next.